F-18 pilot who crashed in California valley known as Star Wars canyon is confirmed dead by the the Air Force after an overnight search
- Single-seat F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed near Death Valley on Wednesday
- An overnight search has ruled that the pilot perished in the horror crash
- Crash occurred in a training area known informally as ‘Star Wars Canyon’
- The pilot’s identity is being withheld for 24 hours after notification of next of kin
A Navy pilot whose F-18 fighter jet crashed in California’s ‘Star Wars canyon’ has been confirmed dead by Air Force officials, following an overnight search.
The plane went down near Death Valley, just north of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, in a training area known as Star Wars Valley, injuring a family of seven French tourists.
The pilot’s identity is being withheld by Navy officials until 24 hours after notification of next of kin, per Defense Department policy.
The aircraft was part of the ‘Vigilantes’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, and attached to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. It was on a routine training flight when the accident took place.
The plane went down near Death Valley, just north of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, in a training area known as Star Wars Valley (both images show the crash site, including the jet)
A Navy pilot who crashed an F-18 fighter jet has been confirmed dead by the Air Force following an overnight search. The pilot’s identity is being withheld by Navy officials until 24 hours after notification of next of kin, per Defense Department policy (crash site is pictured)
It is not yet known how or why the aircraft crashed. Tragic photographs taken from the scene show the F-18 in one piece resting on the side of a sloped cliff face.
A rescue team from the base and officials from the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office were on the scene of the crash within hours.
A military official said in a statement: ‘The Navy has confirmed that the pilot of the FA-18E died in the crash. In accordance with DoD policy, the identity of the pilot will be withheld 24 hours.
‘The Navy mourns the loss of one of our own and our thoughts go out to the family and friends affected by this tragedy.’
Map shows the location of the crash site, north of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
An F/A-18E Super Hornet is seen in a file photo in training exercises in Star Wars Canyon. A similar plane crashed near Death Valley in California on Wednesday
The Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet went down on the west side of Death Valley National Park, near the Father Crowley Overlook.
The overlook is an area informally known as ‘Star Wars Canyon,’ which has been used for military training flights since the 1930s.
Military plane enthusiasts regularly gather there to watch fighter jets make training runs down the tight canyon, evocative of scenes from the Star Wars films.
The F/A-18 forms the backbone of the Navy’s fighter jet fleet, and the Super Hornet variant became operational in 2001.
